Pages

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Bollywood Numbers

How many different numbers are represented in the Bollywood filmography? Here is my quick take. Now, others can fill in the blanks.

Awwal Number - Dev Anand's take on cricket and my favourite movie on the sport. The first movie in which Aamir Khan hit a six off the last ball.

Do Kaliyaan - (Baby) Neetu Singh's double role in a movie, which was copied by Hollywood in the late 90's movie, The Parent Trap.There was another Parent Trap in the 60's? What rubbish?

Teen Deviyaan - Dev Anand's love quadrilateral with Nanda, Kalpana Kartik and Simi Garewal vying for his attention. The man's delusions were as legendary as his tilt!

Char-as - I may not be able to think of a film with 4 in its title but Charas at least starts with it! (In another week's time, we can add Krazzy 4 to this list.) Dharmendra and Hema Malini at their peaks, in an international drug smuggling story (with a mother angle!), directed by Ramanand Sagar.

Paanch - Anurag Kashyap's biggest hit that never was. Kay Kay Menon and Shivangi Kolhapure's explosive debut which never exploded.If you think this is cheating (since the movie never released), I also have Hum Paanch and Five Rifles up my sleeve.

Satte Pe Satta - The supposed copy of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers had such a punchy screenplay (complete with a double role and a sub-plot) that it never ages even after millions of re-runs on TV.

Nau Do Gyarah - Dev Anand's comic caper, loosely based on It Happened One Night. It had the lovely 'Hum hain raahi pyaar ke' song which was played in the background of a Dil Hain Ke Manta Nahin scene and eventually got made into a film as well. Mahesh Bhatt and/or Aamir Khan must have developed a special liking for it.

Dus - Terrorist saga with brotherly sentiments thrown in for family audiences. Abhishek became seriously starry material after this film, which was neither his earliest nor his biggest hit.While on the subject, let me recommend Dus Kahaniyaan - which I caught on a Kingfisher flight - as a brilliant but under-praised film.

From now on onwards, it is better move on a logarithmic scale as the only numerical film I can think between 12-99 is Umar Pachpan Ka, Dil Bachpan Ka. (Another 55!)

100 Days - I have already dwelled immensely on th subject of Hundreds. Including this film. So, I will not repeat myself.

Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi - Sudhir Mishra's take on college idealism of the Naxalite era going on to cynicism of the real world. I personally feel is an over-hyped film. It was good but not as good as it was made out to be.

Inaam Dus Hazaar - Sanjay Dutt on the run, with a reward of Rs 10000 on his head - how did you guess? There was a CID officer on his trail and Meenakshi Sheshadri in tow. A moderately interesting comedy caper, which you have to catch on a Tuesday evening while you are waiting for pizza and the TV remote is in the kitchen.

Lakhon Ki Baat - An unusual theme for Indian cinema, this one was about an 'ambulance-chaser' lawyer (Sanjeev Kumar) who gets his friend (Farooque Sheikh) to exaggerate an injury which he sustained while at work and get compensation for the same. BTW, the only thing I remember is that he was a journalist and the 'work' was photographing a women's hockey match. Chak De India was not the pioneering film on that sport, then!

Crorepati - There is no film of this name (to the best of my knowledge). Though Rakesh Roshan has the title Karodpati registered with him. However, in an interesting aside, this was the name of the film that was being shot in Ajanta-Ellora when Feluda & Co. were there for Koilashey Kelenkari! Ray had a knack for having brilliant names for Bollywood films in his books - Jet Bahadur was another!

Entities you really like seem to blind your judgment at times. You somehow are always planning a post like "10 movies Hollywood copied from us" someday - don't you? :D

Thanks to my wife, and an unlimited Blockbuster membership next door, I have ended up watching pretty much all "kiddie" (and sappy too) movies made since Moses. 90s "Parent Trap" (Lindsey Lohan) is indeed a remake of a 60's "The Parent Trap". The earlier made one is a visual treat as well. Quick check in imdb reveals it got better rating than the 90s one.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055277/

Looks like Neetu Singh's "Do Kaliyaan" was released a whole 8 years after the original "The Parent Trap".

Wonderful post! Keep it up. Apart from the ones already pointed out by others, may I add Teesri Kasam, One Two Ka Four, Do Anjaane, Lahu Ke Do Rang, House No.11, Woh Saat Din?By the way, the one about the 'Crorepati' was a fantastic observation.

As far as I know, Kalpana Kartick and Kalpana were two different acctresses. The former co-starred with Dev Anand in 9-2-11 while, the latter was in Teen Deviyan, in the role of an actress known as Kalpana!Incidentally, DA and KK are married to each other - the marriage took place on the sets of Taxi Driver.